Monica Lewinsky Praises JAY-Z’s Male Vulnerability on ‘4:44’

JAY-Z has an unexpected new fan: Monica Lewinsky. The former White House intern wrote a piece for Vanity Fair, where she praised the hip-hop mogul for his new album 4:44, specifically for how he redefined male vulnerability.

Instead of moving past or ignoring prior allegations of infidelity, Lewinsky wrote, “he chose a path of candor that will … move the conversation forward and help others.”

“It is a refreshing and bracing antidote to see male icons convey vulnerability in an age when Washington’s new power elite and our coarsening culture are busy projecting an outmoded caricature of manhood, 24/7,” she continued. “As we wrestle with gender roles and relationships between the sexes—and see issues of sexism running rampant from the tech world to politics—it’s heartening to see a crack in the implicit contract among men, their emotions, and society at large.”